Capping apparatus



W. v. DERBY GAPPING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 16, 1920 2 Sheets-She et 133314 @Wmvmvef;

' Sept. 4, 1923. 1,466.?62

w. v. DEWEY CAPPING APPARATUS Filed 0013. 16 1920 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 If//////x\/////// Patented Sept. 4, i923.

siren srarss PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM V. DERBY, OF BALTIBEORE, IvIARYLAND, ASSIGNOB TO THE CROYIN CORKAND SEAL COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CE'lY,

BATION OF MARYLAND.

OF BALTIIEEORE, MARYLAND, A CORPO- cnrrrne nrrAnA'rU-s.

Application filed October 1c, 1920. Serial No. 417,362.

To all whom it may cancer n.7,

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM V. DERBY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, and State of Maryland. have invented certain newand useful Improveients in Capping Apparatus, fully described andrepresented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to capping apparatus.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a cappingapparatus such that crowns or other caps are properly positioned in thecapping heads, and such that the ap-- paratus is readily adapted for usewith capping heads moving past the crown supply chute in one directionor the other.

With. this general object in view, the invention consists in thecombinations, details of construction and arrangement of parts whichwill first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings andthen more particularly pointed out.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a view in horizontal cross-section, with parts in plan, of acapping a paratus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the crown chute and one ofthe capping heads;

Fig. 3 is a View, partly in side elevation.

and partly in section, with parts removed;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4.--4: of Fig. 3; I

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on theline 5-5 of Fig.4l; T

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing in end elevation the wiping latchremoved; and

Fig. 7 is a view, in side elevation, with parts in section, of one ofthe crown wipers and its mounting.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of theinvention, a plurality of capping heads 11 are connected in any suitablemanner with a central shaft 12. Upon rotation of shaft 12 the cappingheads have an orbital movement past a crown feeding chute 13. This chutecommunicates with a hopper or other suitable Source of crown supply (notshown). Each cludes a throat ring or capping die 15. Below each cappingdie is a crown platform 16 having an, open sided chamber 17. Thesechamber openings register with the chute 13 as the capping heads movepast the latter, sothat crowns sliding down the chute by gravity mayenter the crown platforms. It sometimes happens, however, is notsufiicient to properly position the crowns in the platform chambers.

There is provided means for positively acting on the crowns to wipe theminto centered position in the crown platforms of the capping heads.Although capable of various constructions, in the embodiment hereillustrated, mounted as hereinafter described, is a crown guiding andwiping latch 19. The side wall 20 of the chute is cut away, as appearsin Fig. 1, to receive the head of this wiper 19. The latter is providedwith a guiding face 21 substantially parallel with the chute andforming, in effect, a continuation of the chute wall 20. The wipinglatch also has a crown wiping face 22 oblique to the chute. -Asindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, these crown engaging faces areoffset to allow for the skirt of the crown, and the corners are roundedas shown toprevent crowns from catching thereon.

Means is provided for yieldingly mounting the wiper l9, and instructures embodying the invention to the best advantage, the wiper ispivoted and hasa pinion meshing with a spring pressed member, foreXample, a rack Although capable of various constructions, in thepresent embodiment a support or frame piece 25carr1es a houslng 26 whichmay conveniently be cast integral therewith. The housin 26 is ooen atthe botshown as an example, the pinion 27 meshes that gravity with rackteeth 29 formed on a cylindrical rack member 3O.v The rack is slidaiiiiein a cylindrical housing 3.1 which conveniently integral witii lhHlSlllghaving one end open, as appears in Fig. l, for the reception oi therack. The rack 30 is closed at its outer end and open at its inner ortelescoped end. Within the rack member is a spring 32 which bearsagainstthe closed end or housing 31.

As the crowns slide down chute 13, they tend. to enter the crownplatforms as the latter move past the end of the chute. Should a crowntail to take its proper posh tion in the platt'orni, it will, as thehead moveson, engagethe face o t the wiping latch 19. Due to thisengagement, the crown is positively wiped into proper position in theplatform. hould a detective crown or the like heconie jammed between thwiping latch and the capping head, t latch can yield. The excesspressure ov mes the force 01": spring 32 and the 'hiping latch swings onits pivot, the rotation oi' pinion 2T forcing back rack 30 againstspring. This yielding of the wiping latch releases the jammed crown.Upon release or the jammed crown, the sprin; torces rack member 30forwardly again, thus rotating pinion 27 in the reverse direction toreti'irn the wiping latch 19 to normal position.

lrioans is provided for fixing this normal position. As here shown, asan example, the wiping latch 19 has a heel 3 which engages the end of astop screw 3i threaded through part of fran'ie 25 and adjustably set bya lock nut 35. This engagement of heel 33 with stop limits the movementof the wiping latch under force of spring 32.

The drawings show a wiping latch iocated for use with clockwise rotationot' the capping head, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. It issometimes desired to reverse the direction of rotation, and means is prov vided for mounting the wiping latch for service on either side of thechute. here shown, as an example, on the right he side of chute 13 (asviewed in l) is a 1 anie piece or support 38 that i l he lira r 25,except that it is opposi;

Qn the frame 38 are housings are rev rsed counterparts ot housin 231,the two sets of housings being ..,.yn'nnetrieally located with respectto tie chute. Housing 39 15 provided with a bore all to receive the studbolt 2% and the frame piece 38 has a bore 4:2 to receive the stop screw34:. When the direction of rotation is changed, a reverse counterpart ofthe wiping latch 19 is provided. This wiper, together wit pinion 27 andbolt 28 are mounted in t housing 39. Rack 30 and spring transferred tohousing etO and stop-screw is transferred to bore It sometimes happensthat the vibration 'hile 'ariable within a wide range, n

. structures embody- "ng the invention to the best advantage, thesetwocrown i re functionally inbe acmnuplished, wo crown wipers iginefaces and tor example, by V llflYlirQ' convex lv'icating these ipersncti'ically with respect to the c n Although tfzipflhlt. oit

in tha h re siown own w 1 We r 2 (looking at l ipg. l) is a (:1 in theform of a long curved br 1-5.

bar l as a convex crown-engagin 'lace l6 which is substantiallytangential t centered crowns, as appears clearly in Fig. 1. its thecapping heads move onwards away from the chute, any dislodged crown willengage the curved taco of the wiper and by such cngas'enicnt wiil hewiged into centered position. The wiper -15 is located :tar enoughbeyond the chute to insure the crowns being centered just prior to thepoint where the bottles are presented in the capping opcraltleans isprovided for yieldingly niounting the wiper a5 and in structuresembodying the invention to the best advantage the wiper is pivote andhas a pinion meshing with a spring pressed inelnber. Although capable01'? various constructions, the mounting may conveniently duplicate themounting for wiper h ch 19, thereby reducing the number of(lilierent'parts to be n'ianutactured. Such a construction is shown inthe present en'ibodinient. The frame piece 25 has a pinion housing at?and a rack housing 4:8, which are like the housings already do scribed.in the former is a pinion a9 mounted on a stud bolt and having a tongueand groove connection with the wiper d5. Pinion 4 9 meshes with acylindrical rack 51 slidable in the housing- 48 and pressed ton ward bya spring To fix the normal position of the wiper a heel 53 on the latterengages a stop screw 5% threaded through frame piece and adjustably setby loci: nut in the construction shown bolt 50, pinion L9, rack 51,spring 52 and stop screw 5% are counterparts of bolt 28. pinion rack 30,Spring" and screw 3% respectively.

As before stated there is provided. a

,wiper for positioning dislodged crowns that have been carried aroundWlthOut beHig at a sp ,inal position. 7

tached to a bottle, this wiper being functionally interchangeablewithwiper 45. It

was also stated that both wipers might have convex crown engaging faces-Althougl' capable of various constructions, this third wiper and itsassociated parts may conven iently be counterparts of the wiper and itsmounting. Such a construction is here shown as an example. Located onthe op posite side of the chute from wiper 45 and symmetrically arrangedwith relation thereto, is a crown wiper 56 comprising a curved bar thatis the reverse counterpart of bar 45. The wiper 56 has a convex crownengaging face 57 which, like face '46, is sub stantially tangentialtothe edge of a centered crown. Should a crown be carried around withthe head and become dislodged,

it will be wiped into centered position by its engagement with thewiperface 57. In the present embodiment of the invention, the wiper 56is mounted by means of parts that are duplicates of the mountingsalready described. The pinion and rack housings are shown at 58, 59 andit is to be understood that they contain duplicates of pinion 49, rack51 and spring 52, the pinion being mounted on stud bolt 60. A stop screw61, duplicating screw 54, fixes the normal position of wiper 56.

Should the direction of rotation of the capping heads be reversed, thewipers 45 and 56exchange functions. That is, wiper 56 positions crownsjust prior to capping, and wiper 45 positions crowns carried around tothe starting point.

With the construction described, the crowns are positively positioned atthe sevcral points desired by parts that are simple in construction andoperation, economical to manufacture and easy to assemble.

It is to be understood'that in the description and claims the word crownis used as an exemplification and that the invention is not limited tothat particular type of cap.

What is claimed is:

1. In .a capping apparatus, the combination with a crown feeding chuteand a plurality of capping heads arranged to move past said chute andprovided with crowni'eceiving platforms, of a pivotally mounted wiperfor wiping crowns into position in said platforms, a. pinion associatedwith said wiper, a toothed member ineshlng with said pinion, and aspring tending to hold the.

wiper in normal position.

2. In a capping apparatus, the combina-- tion with a crown feeding chuteand a plurality of capping heads arranged to move past said chute andprovided with crownreceiving platforms, of a pivotally mounted wiper forwiping crowns into position in said platforms, a pinion associatedwithsaid wiper, a. rack meshing with saidpinion, and

ring'tending to hold the wiper in nor- 3. In a capping apparatus, thecombination with a crown feeding chute and a plurality of capping headsarranged to move past said chute and provided with crownreceivingplatforms, of a pivotally mounted wiper for wiping crowns into positionin said platforms, a pinion associated with said wiper, a rack meshingwith said pinion.'a

past said chuteandprovided with crown-- receiving platforms, of apivotally mounted wiper for "lplng crowns into position in saidplatforms, a pinion associated with said wiper, a toothedmember meshingwith said pinion, a spring tending to move the wiper toward normalposition, and a stop for limiting the movement ofthe wiper undertheforce of said spring.

5. In a capping. apparatus, the combination with a crown feedingchuteand a plurality of capping heads arranged to move past said chute andprovided with crownreceiving platforms, of a pivotally mounted wiper forwiping crowns into position in said platforms, a pinion associated withsaid wiper, a toothed member meshing with said pinion, a spring tendingto move the wi er toward normalposition, and an adjustable stop forlimiting movement of the wiper under the force of said spring.

6. In a capping apparatus, the combination with a crown feeding chuteand a plurality of capping heads arranged to move past said chute andprovided withcrownreceiving platforms, of a wiper for wiping crowns ntoposition in said platforms, a

stud on which said wiper is pivotally mounted, a pinion mounted on saidstud and having a tongue and groove connection with said wiper, a rackmeshing with said pinion, and a spring tending to move the wiper intonormal position.

7. In a capping apparatus, and iIICOIIlblnation, a crown feeding chute,a plurality of capping heads arranged to have an orbital movement pastsaid chute and provided with crown-receiving platforms, a crownwiperadjacent the chute mouth, and two crown-wipers symmetrically arranged oneither side of the chute mouth and spaced therefrom.

8. In a capping apparatus, the combina tion with a crown feeding chuteand a pinrality of capping. heads arranged to move past said chute andprovided with crown-receiving platforms, of a wiper located adjacent thechute for-wiping crowns into 1305i.

tion in the platforms as the latter move past the chute means formounting said wiper to yield to release a jammed crown, and two wiperslocated. on opposite sides of said chute and spaced therefrom, one forwiping crowns into position in the platforms just prior to the cappingoperation, and the other for wiping crowns into position that are car-.ried around without being applied to a bottle.

9. In a capping apparatus, and in combination, a crownceding chute, aplurality oi capping heads arranged to move past said chute in eitherclockwise or counterclockwise direction and provided with crownreceiving platforms, means "tor mounting a crown wiping latch on ei herside of said chute, and two crown wipers located on opposite sides ofthe chute and spaced therefrom and capacitated to act interchangeably towipe crowns into position in the platlorins just prior to the cappingoperation and to wipe crowns into position that are arried aroundwithout being applied to bottle, depending on the direction of rotationof the capping heads.

10. In a capping apparatus, and in combination, a crown teeding chute, aplurality of apping heads arranged to have an orbital movement past saidchute and provided with crown-receiving platforms, a crown wiperadjacent the chute mouth, and two convex crown wipers symmetricallyarranged on either side of the chute mouth and spaced therefrom.

, '11. In a capping apparatus, and in comhination, a crown feedingchute, a support on each side of the chute, each support having ahearing tor a wiper pivot adjacent the chute mouth, and a hearing; for awiper pivot spaced from the chute mouth, said hearings beingsymmetrically arranged with respect to the chute.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

' WILLIAM V. DERBY.

